FOREST HALL FARM

FOREST HALL FARM PARTNERSHIP

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES

There is a wide variation in both landscape and
environment, and includes some of the valleys of
Bannisdale, Borrowdale and Crookdale. The more
productive land lies to the East of the A6, rising from 180m through to large enclosed fell (height 660m) at north-west end of the farm.

The farm includes two SSSI’s at Borrow Beck Meadows and Bannisdale Beck.

GEOLOGY

Forest Hall Farm is situated on the edge of Silurian Slates bordering Carboniferous Limestone; the Silurian Slates are alternative beds of mudstone and gritty silts, usually leaden grey in colour.

SOIL TYPE(S)

Soils derived from Silurian sedimentary rocks 'are all now rather poor and acid because in the course of the last ten thousand years, since the last glacial episode, the very high rainfall of this western mountain district has leached out of the soil most of the more soluble mineral elements such as calcium.' (WH Pearsall, W Pennington, The Lake District, A Landscape History, 1973, p.121)

FLORA

There is an ancient oak woodland near to Forest Hall Farm and substantial, deer fenced alder woodland in Borrowdale.

In The Forest, there are ‘…smaller areas of calcareous bent/fescue grasses with alpine lady’s mantle and calcareous flushes with bird’s eye primrose and ‘grass of Parnassus’. (Environmental Report, Nick Townley, 2004, p.5)

In Lamb Pasture (80 ha) ‘species include marsh
hawkbit, marsh violet, bugle, self heal and grass of Parnassus… It is the lowest lying area that holds the most botanical interest, here there is a base-rich mire with wild angelica, marsh cinquefoil, sneezewort, bog bean, bird’s eye primrose, butterwort and devil’s bit scabious’.
(Ibid, p.6)

 

Red Deer